estrange

These verbs refer to disruption of a bond of love, friendship, or loyalty. Estrange and alienate are often used with reference to two persons whose harmonious relationship has been replaced by hostility or indifference: Political disagreements led to quarrels that finally estranged the two friends. His persistent antagonism alienated his wife.Disaffect usually implies discontent, ill will, and disloyalty within the membership of a group: Colonists were disaffected by the royal governor's actions.

Largely synonymous with alienate, estrange is primarily used to mean “cut off relations”, particularly in a family setting, while alienate is rather used to refer to driving off (“he alienated her with his atrocious behavior”) or to offend a group (“the imprudent remarks alienated the urban demographic”).

When speaking of parents being estranged from a child of theirs, disown is frequently used instead, and has a stronger connotation.

Sentence Examples

In the four years and a half during which his ministry had lasted he had done much to estrange his party.

His inward break with Jewish orthodoxy dated, no doubt, further back - from his acquaintance with the philosophical theologians and commentators of the middle ages; but these new interests combined to estrange him still further from the traditions of the synagogue.

The Madrid foreign office welcomed most readily a clever move of Prince Bismarcks to estrange Spain from France and to flatter the young king of Spain.